Bottle cooler

ABSTRACT

A bottle cooler includes an outer casing, an inner casing housed within the outer casing and being sized and shaped to receive bottles horizontally therein. A refrigeration package is housed externally of the inner casing within the outer casing, and a cooling fan is housed within the outer casing to cause airflow through the outer casing past the refrigeration package to cool the inner casing. The bottle cooler is designed to be affixed beneath a kitchen cupboard.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to bottle coolers. More particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to a refrigerated container that can be suspended beneath a kitchen cupboard for example and in which wine bottles can be stored horizontally.

Where space and climate conditions allow, wine bottles for example are ideally stored in a cellar or other constantly cool place. In small apartments, refrigerator space is usually at a premium. Most kitchens have cupboards both above and below the kitchen benchtops, but such cupboards are not ideally suited to the storage of wine bottles as their internal temperatures vary widely and in any case the storage space provided by such cupboards is usually limited.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages and/or more generally to provide a bottle cooler suitable for attachment beneath a wall-mounted kitchen cupboard above a benchtop workspace.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed herein a bottle cooler, comprising:

-   -   an outer casing,     -   an inner casing housed within the outer casing and being sized         and shaped to receive bottles horizontally therein,     -   a refrigeration package housed externally of the inner casing         within the outer casing, and     -   a cooling fan housed within the outer casing to cause airflow         through the outer casing past the refrigeration package to cool         the inner casing.

The bottle cooler can further comprise brackets by which the outer casing can be suspended underneath a kitchen cupboard.

Preferably, the bracket includes slots through which stems of inverted wine glasses depending from the bracket can extend.

Preferably, the inner casing has an opening through which bottles are inserted and retrieved, and further comprising a door across the opening.

Preferably, the door comprises a window.

Preferably, the door is attached by hinges to the inner casing.

The bottle cooler can further comprise a rack within the inner casing and having curved profiled segments for supporting bottles horizontally thereon.

Preferably, the cooling fan is located at one side of the inner casing, and the bottle cooler further comprises a turbofan supplementing the cooling fan and located at an opposite side of the inner casing within the outer casing.

The bottle cooler can further comprise a control panel having switches for controlling the refrigeration package and cooling fan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective illustration of a bottle cooler,

FIG. 2 is a schematic parts-exploded perspective illustration of the bottle cooler of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective illustration of the bottle cooler with a mounting bracket/wine glass hanger,

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are schematic perspective illustrations of the bottle cooler/mounting bracket/wine glass hanger and a kitchen cupboard from which the bottle cooler is suspended.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the accompanying drawings there is depicted schematically a bottle cooler A. The bottle cooler comprises an outer casing 14 typically made of pressed metal and enamel coated. The outer casing 14 could however be of moulded plastics material. An inner casing 11 is housed within the outer casing 14 and might also be of metal or plastics material. The inner casing has a front flange surrounding an opening and to which a bottom-pivoted door is attached. The door comprises an inner panel 7 and an outer panel 3. A see-through plastics window 20 is sandwiched between the inner and outer panels and includes a window rim 6. Locking catches 4 and 5 at the top of the inner door panel 7 close to the outer edge of the inner casing flange 11. Affixed to the outer door panel 3 is a handle 1 with handle pad 2.

A metal rack 8 rests internally upon the floor of the inner casing 11 and includes curved profiled segments upon which wine bottles can rest. Typically, the rack is sized and shaped to accommodate three wine bottles side-by-side.

The inner casing 11 is spaced internally of the outer casing 14 by an airflow cavity which surrounds the inner casing. Located within this cavity are a refrigeration package 12, a cooling fan 13 and control circuitry including a PCB light board 16 which is mounted behind an indicator light panel 17. A protective shroud 15 encases the refrigeration package 12 and cooling fan 13. The protective shroud 15 has venting louvers through which the cooling fan 13 forces air. At the other side of the inner casing 11, there is provided a turbofan 10 that is located within another protective shroud 9. Again, the shroud 9 has louvers through which the turbofan 10 forces air.

Also located within the outer casing 14 is a switching adapter 19 in an isolation box 18.

To secure the bottle cooler A to the flat under-surface of a kitchen cupboard B, a mounting bracket C is provided. The bracket includes screw holes enabling easy fixture to both the cooler A and cupboard B. The mounting bracket C might be of brass or chrome plated steel for example and includes wine glass hangers D comprising slots into which the stems of inverted wine glasses can be inserted from the front so that the glasses can be suspended therefrom with the bases of the glasses held above the hanger.

In use, the bottle cooler receives mains electrical power via a power cord (not shown). Cooling fan 13 and refrigeration package 12 are thus activated to cause a flow of cool air through the refrigeration package both above and below the inner casing 11 as it flows from one side of the outer casing 14 to the other. The indication lights at the front panel would illuminate. The turbofan 11 would activate upon thermostatic control (not shown) on particularly hot days. The turbofan would increase the airflow induced by the main cooling fan 13.

It should be appreciated that modifications and alterations obvious to those skilled in the art are not to be considered as beyond the scope of the present invention. For example, the cooling fan and refrigeration package might be mounted on top of, behind, or beneath the inner casing. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the apparatus herein is equally suited to the cooling cans and other storage vessels. 

1. A bottle cooler, comprising: an outer casing, an inner casing housed within the outer casing and being sized and shaped to receive bottles horizontally therein, a refrigeration package housed externally of the inner casing within the outer casing, and a cooling fan housed within the outer casing to cause airflow through the outer casing past the refrigeration package to cool the inner casing.
 2. The bottle cooler of claim 1, further comprising a bracket by which the outer casing can be suspended underneath a kitchen cupboard.
 3. The bottle cooler of claim 2, wherein the bracket includes slots through which stems of inverted wine glasses depending from the bracket can extend.
 4. The bottle cooler of claim 1, wherein the inner casing has an opening through which bottles are inserted and retrieved, and further comprising a door across the opening.
 5. The bottle cooler of claim 4, wherein the door comprises a window.
 6. The bottle cooler of claim 4, wherein the door is attached by hinges to the inner casing.
 7. The bottle cooler of claim 1, further comprising a rack within the inner casing and having curved profiled segments for supporting bottles horizontally thereon.
 8. The bottle cooler of claim 1, wherein the cooling fan is located at one side of the inner casing, and further comprising a turbofan supplementing the cooling fan and located at an opposite side of the inner casing within the outer casing.
 9. The bottle cooler of claim 1, further comprising a control panel having switches for controlling the refrigeration package and cooling fan. 